Who has ever refinished a large wooden table? I need HELP!!!?

Question

We purchased a six seater wooden table from Ethan Allen. It is made of farmer pine. I am not sure of the original finish, whether it is varnish or eurethane. Last year i had cleaned it with murphys oil soap--BIG mistake. Now the table is gummy and when i run my finger nail over the top of it i can scrape off whatever it is making the table gummy. Should refinish it by sanding the whole table down and putting a poly eurethane on it or should i strip it with the proper chemical and then putting the eurethane on??? also what is the best product to use??? Thanks for your help. Ohh yea i got a bid for someone else to do it for round 400$ Is THIS the better option?? Thanks again!!

Answer 1

use thinners to remove the gum

then the right strippr if the table is still coated with poly'

re finish the table with 2 pack epoxy you can use a roller to apply it then it settles like glass

we did this in a resteraunt and it looks awesome and doesnt ding or mark as easily as other finishes

Answer 2

The finish gummed up because it was a regular lacquer finish. Any soap will cause it to gum, so will sweat and plasticizers found in plastic products. $400 sounds a little steep for the refinishing job. Lacquer is easy for a professional to remove. Get some liquid stripper and take the finish off, I find it works better than the gel or paste strippers for lacquer. Then wipe it clean with lacquer thinner. Let the table dry for a few days before trying to sand or refinish. The strippers and lacquer thinner leach into the pores and need time to dry out, the surface may feel dry but there is some still down in the pores... trust me!

If the wood is natural color (no stain), only light sanding will be needed before applying finish If it is stained, lightly sand, apply stain and then apply finish. I would suggest a satin polyurethane, glossier finishes will show scratches and dents more in the future. Just about any brand will work, but the first coat should be thinned one third with paint thinner or mineral spirits. lightly sand (320 or 400 grit) after allowing plenty of time to dry between coats. If you brush the finish, be sure to use the proper brush, some brushes will streak more than others. Ask at the hardware store what brush to use.

Also, assuming that the legs are in good shape, you should be able to just lightly sand them with 400 grit and apply a coat or two of polyurethane. The same applies to any area where the finish has not softened or been damaged. Protect these areas when stripping.

Another option to get a better finish, ask the same person for a quote to spray the finish only, you do the stripping. They should be able to do it for under $100 is my guess.

Good luck and have fun!

PS..... this is only if the table is solid wood and not vaneer, if it is vaneer, then shell out the $400!

Answer 3

Have you tried using 0000 steel wool and rubbing it in the direction of the grain to remove the soap build up? You can do that prior to going to the expense of refinishing the table. The steel wool will not damage the finish that is already there if you use a quality furniture polish while wiping the table the table.

Do not use a aerosol spray polish! You can also use newspapers to wipe some of the Murphy's off. It will help.

Send a note if you have questions. I worked for a furniture company and am a cabinet maker of 27 years.

Answer 4

I am an ole' granny but used to do this....we wood sand down and then use the right 'chemical' to get the legs clean, etc. To get a really good finish on the top, I would use a fine sand paper tool , put another coat on and do this 6 to 8 times......they were beautiful.....it is a big project, but if you have it in you, you will be happier with your own work (like sanding the finish eight times and putting another coat) The only other suggestion is to let someone else strip it and you do the refinishing....be careful that they don't DIP it in that solution...i did that only once and ruined 350.00 chairs over 30 years ago....

Answer 5

I bought some old desks for my boys a few years back...nice rock maple but needed cleaning and obvious redoing...used a Fornby's kit to refinish and used tung oil to seal and finish....these came out so natural looking with still the deep set stain on them....I was proud of myself..not hard to do..one day, about two hours to strip and let dry overnight and then to Tung oil (rub in the oil and buff) next day.... go to a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowe's and check out a refinishing kit of materials by Fornby's....good luck.

Answer 6

You can solve this problem by using something called Furniture Refurbisher. It is made by a company called "Circa 1820" They specialize in products made for antiques.

I am an antique dealer and use this product often. It doesn't strip the furniture. What it does is take off the surface dirt, scratches, polish. It has the consistency of water and you pour it on, and use some fine steel wool to stread it around. Then you wipe it off. You now have a clear surface to either stain, wax or varathane as you please. It will not damage anything and I have used it on expensive woods.

I don't know which country you are in but if you can't find Circa 1820 do a Google search for "furniture refurbishing"

P.S. I would recommend waxing pine and oak

Answer 7

The damaged finish has to come off one way or another.
Try a finish restorer like Formbys first.
Cant hurt anything & if it works keep going until the tabletop is smooth & dry.
Avoid using "strippers" & sandpaper.
Ethan Allen stuff aint cheap & doing so can cause more problems later.
Good chance you will lose the original color which is why
a pro is probably the way to go
You may save a little by doing the cleanup prep yourself.
If the cleanup works & you still want to try to DIY & the color is still good,You might try a french polish finish
Not much more than than rubbing in shellac,boiled linseed or tung oil with a lint free cloth
If you like the way it looks just keep applying several coats ,drying in between.
Finish off w/ a hard pastewax.
Got to be more detail on french polishing online.
If not what you like, go back to the Formbys & no harm done.
Not a fan of "poly" on good furniture & almost certain EA does not use it.
Maybe EA has some referrals for you?
Good luck.




Maybe EA has some referrals for you.
Good luck

Answer 8

Don't sand it down. Find a good furniture cleaner.I have used Formby's Almond Lustre on some furniture, it cleans and it will eventually create a great shine when used all the time. Also want will work is Guardsman Furniture cleaner (I would use this 1st ) and alot of elbow grease!! Or just call Ethan Allen for their cleaning products. Good Luck!! P.S...Never use Murphy's stuff on anything again!!

Answer 9

you have a lot of good answers,but DO NOT sand,because this is a grinding process,meaning you are grinding away the surface of the wood,meaning the wood itself.i have found that if you have any doubts,then pay a professional,because the stripping chemicals are very toxic and like the finish,they can eat you.do what you do to make your money,and let the pro do what he does for his money.the formby's answer is a good one for the armature.the reason i am stressing pro,is because i have been one for over 35 years and have done acres of all types of wood.i strip,clean with acetone with steel wool,sand very lightly only to remove fuzz,with 220 to 400 grit paper.once top is smooth as a baby's but,then i begin to apply thin coats of lacquer,polyurethane,tung oil,linsey oils,but never a two part product,because of the expense,and a lot can go wrong that will be hard to fix,like fish eyes and orange peal.a new to me,but a very old and extremely easy product,is called tree wax,some of the best i have ever used,with very little dry time and excellent results.

Answer 10

use achemical stripper as it will just clog a sander, once all off give it a good sand down to your lower grit sand paper and urathane works well for me but I spray it for a better finish